February 11, 2014 smz-blog

Baseball as business and vice-versa

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The other day I was watching the movie Moneyball (for the third time) and got to thinking about what it might mean for our clients other than the Detroit Tigers. Because the movie did have some principles that can most definitely be applied to business and marketing:

1.) Talent certainly matters, but you don’t have to evaluate it the same way everyone else does. And if you’re still using performance appraisal documents from 1987, it might be time for a re-think.

2.) Zigging when everyone else zags not only gets a brand noticed; it equates to wins.

3.) It’s all about the team. And while it’s nice to have superstars, if an Organization ─ any organization ─ isn’t playing as a team, we fail. And in business, like in professional baseball, we fail publicly.

4.) Everyone appreciates free soda.

As an advertising guy I have no idea what Brad Pitt’s character was doing for Chanel N°5. But his portrayal of Billy Beane in Moneyball had me excited about both a new baseball season and a new fiscal year at our agency. Check out the book and/or the movie if you get a chance.

Play ball.

Jamie Michelson, President

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